@article{ref1,
title="The ties that bind: ethnicity, pro-government militia, and the dynamics of violence in civil war",
journal="Journal of conflict resolution",
year="2020",
author="Abbs, Luke and Clayton, Govinda and Thomson, Andrew",
volume="64",
number="5",
pages="903-932",
abstract="Existing research reveals many of the ways pro-government militia (PGM) shape civil violence but overlooks how the ethno-political ties between the state and a PGM might influence these effects. We argue that co-ethnic militia (i.e., groups composed of the ruling elite's ethnic kin) are relatively loyal irregular forces that multiply state military capacity. The greater loyalty of co-ethnic groups mitigates principal-agent problems but further polarizes ethnic communities, and as a result, co-ethnic PGMs are likely to be associated with longer and more intense civil conflict. We test this argument on a global sample of cases from 1989 to 2007 using new data capturing the ethnic ties of all PGMs. The results support our claims that co-ethnic militia are associated with more intense and longer civil conflict.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0022-0027",
doi="10.1177/0022002719883684",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0022002719883684"
}